Cabrini Center Offers Assistance for DACA Applicants

The Catholic Charities St. Frances Cabrini Center for Immigration Legal Assistance offers DACA application assistance through outreach, workshops and application assistance to DACA applicants who qualify for services.

If you need assistance, please call the Cabrini Center at 713.874.6570 or click here to schedule an appointment. Learn more about how Catholic Charities assists with DACA applications.

Important Information on DACA Assistance

Beginning June 2018, the Cabrini Center will begin charging a $100 fee for DACA appointments.

In the most recent litigation over the DACA Program, Judge John D. Bates of Federal District Court for the District of Columbia agreed with other judges that the DACA protections must stay in place. In addition, he also ordered that the government must resume accepting new applications. However, he delayed the implementation of this order for 90 days to give the government time to introduce evidence that they ended the DACA program lawfully. If the government is required to accept new applications it will not be until Monday, July 23, 2018.

The Cabrini Center will have more information for initial DACA applicants at that time, so stay tuned to our website for further details.

Updates on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

On September 5, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security released a Memorandum rescinding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) giving DACA recipients whose status would expire within the following 6 months to renew by October 5, 2017. That same month, numerous plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California. Regents of Univ. of Cal. v. Dep’t of Homeland Security became one of several federal lawsuits that claimed that the government’s action in rescinding DACA was unlawful because it violated the Administrative Procedure Act and various provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

On January 9, 2018, Judge William Alsup of the U.S. District Court of Northern California issued a preliminary injunction temporary stopping the government from rescinding DACA until a final determination is made in the case. Specifically, Judge Alsup’s orders the following:

  1. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posts a public notice that it will resume receiving DACA renewal applications.
  2. DHS is not required to accept new applications from those who have never received DACA.
  3. DHS is not required to approve any advance parole requests from those who have DACA.

What does this decision mean to you, if you are previously or currently in DACA status?

  1. You may renew your DACA if your status expired after September 6, 2016 and has lapsed;
  2. You may renew your DACA if your DACA expiration falls between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018 but you either did not renew before October 5, 2017 or your renewal was rejected;
  3. You may renew your DACA if your DACA status expires after March 5, 2018.
  4. This court order is temporary in nature, Judge Alsup’s order may be reversed by a higher court in the future and the rescission will be put back in place. There is no time line for when that may happen.

ACT NOW to renew your DACA!

Go to www.uscis.gov for instructions on how to file for DACA renewal.

Contact Us

If you need assistance, please call the Cabrini Center at 713.874.6570 or email us at daca@catholiccharities.org to schedule an appointment. Learn more about how Catholic Charities assists with DACA applications.